A look inside Dulles' lost and found

DULLES AIRPORT (WJLA) - With an average 23,000 people racing through security on a daily basis at Dulles, you can understand why many items are left behind. Those items are kept in a small office on the ground floor of the airport. It's the TSA's lost and found.

The most oft forgotten item? Belts. But there are plenty of laptops, cell phones, and even identification cards too.

"We've had dentures that people have left," said James White, a TSA agent. "We've had hearing aids, glasses, car seats, stuff like you wouldn't expect people to leave."

Agents have also seen items that passengers probably wish they had not forgotten - from adult toys to a shrunken head.

With the strict guidelines regarding liquids, belts, shoes, and electronics, the number of items left behind has grown in recent years. It's why some passengers approach this process like a science.

"Usually before I get in the line I'll make sure I'll put all that stuff inside my bag," explained Chris Fischer, passenger. "And then it's still in my bag when I get out instead of all over the place."

Often passengers will call and recover their lost items. Those forgotten for more than thirty days get sent to the state's surplus in Richmond.